In the mid-1950’s a mechanical enclosure was added to the terrace penthouse of our client’s 1925 landmark high-rise building. Over the decades the metal enclosure suffered substantial environmental wear as well as damage from the many makeshift penetration for new piping and electrical.

Our client sought to refresh the aesthetic character of the shed to compliment the historic building’s exterior. The shed houses an active fan room, electrical and the necessary pumps to drive the cooling for the upper twelve floors of the building. An initial idea of replacing the entire shed was ruled out due to the impractical cost of constructing a temporary water tight outer enclosure. Ultimately, our team design a capping system using a modified modern steel panel system with an engineered anchoring system. The components were bundled and lifted via eleven helicopter lifts picked from trucks on the street below.

The completed enclosure exhibits varying widths of horizontal banding to aesthetically minimize the mass of the structure. The Champaign Gold metal finish pairs comfortably with the buildings light buff glazed terra cotta. The renewed enclosure sits aesthetically quiet above the building’s 23rd floor Neoclassical cornice.

Completion 2022